MADRID: Javier Tebas has been formally re-elected as president of the Spanish league as the top two LaLiga divisions hailed continued progress in addressing the clubs’ tax debts which should be brought under control by the 2019-20 season.

A meeting of the LaLiga Electoral Commission confirmed Tebas as president for the next four years.

A statement read: “With only one candidate running for president of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional and that candidacy deemed valid, Javier Tebas Medriano is definitively announced as president of the Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional on a four-year term, without needing to call an extraordinary general assembly.”

The move came after Alex Aranzabal, Tebas’ sole rival for the election, withdrew his candidacy citing a lack of support.

Tebas took over the presidency in April 2013 and his initial four-year term was due to run through to April 2017. However, last month he announced his formal resignation from the position in order to call an early presidential election.

Separately, a meeting between LaLiga and the National Sports Council outlined the latest state of the obligations of Spanish clubs to the AEAT, the country’s tax authority.

The league has been engaged in a long-running drive to reduce the debts built up by clubs and it has announced that as of September 1, this figure has been slashed to less than half the amount that was owed on January 1, 2013.

In three and a half seasons the project between LaLiga and the CSD has reduced debt levels by €420m ($470.8m), with the league stating a further reduction of €79m is expected through developments planned for the ongoing 2016-17 season. LaLiga is targeting debt reduction of €160m by 2019-20, adding that remaining debt by that stage will be at a “residual” level.

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